


The One Where They Go to IKEA

by Authorexx



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: But it's not legitimate fighting, F/F, Fluff, Okay a lot of flirting, Romance, a bit of fighting, a bit of flirting, general cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29691411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Authorexx/pseuds/Authorexx
Summary: Olivia and Alex go to IKEA.
Relationships: Olivia Benson/Alexandra Cabot
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22





	The One Where They Go to IKEA

“This is going to be fun,” Alex said as she placed a galvanizing hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “Trust me.”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed at the behemoth of the furniture store ahead of them, not entirely convinced. “You really think so? I’ve heard this is like running the gauntlet when you’re dating. You’re lucky to come out still together.”

“And we’ll come out together after a little shopping and lunch,” Alex proclaimed, squeezing Olivia’s shoulder and walking toward the door with a cavalier flick of her wrist. “If nothing else, stick it out for the food.”

Olivia sighed, shaking her head and trailing behind her girlfriend. To the uninformed observer, they were two women—perhaps roommates—walking into a furniture store together. Truthfully, this was something of a rite of passage for their relationship; they wandered the halls poking around at the various different displays of staged rooms. Olivia watched Alex flit back and forth between the displays like a hummingbird in a field of flowers, hovering around whatever table, chair, or unidentifiable, unpronounceable object caught her attention with murmurs of “oh, this is cute,” every few paces. At times, she would look up to Olivia, gesturing to the current focus for approval, and Olivia would smile and nod, simply living in the bliss of being around Alex once again.

 _“Oh,”_ Alex gasped, picking up a small, fluffy rug from a basket. “Look at this,” she said, her typically-low voice rising to an almost-affectionate coo. “It’s so fuzzy, Liv, touch it.” She held it out, and Olivia giggled, running her hand over the fluff.

“It is. Where would it go?” That was Olivia’s question of the day. She wasn’t here to make decisions; she was simply here to help Alex decorate her new apartment.

Alex looked thoughtful for a moment, pausing to push her glasses up her nose. “Maybe… in the living room? On a chair or something?” She ran her thumb over the faux fur, still considering her options. “I wish it was bigger, though… I’d love to have something like this on the bedroom floor.” Her eyes flicked up to meet Olivia’s as she smirked, causing a blush to appear on her girlfriend’s cheeks.

“Stop,” Olivia laughed, turning away in embarrassment. “Someone will hear you.”

“Funny,” Alex whispered, “I’m usually the one saying that to you.” She tossed the rug back on the pile and started off for the next room, leaving Olivia as her jaw dropped open.

 _“Alex!”_ Olivia rushed to follow her, shaking her head. “You can’t just say that,” she hissed, glancing around at the other people milling about the store.

“I just did,” Alex shot back, coupling the remark with a cocky, sparkling smile. “So, what do you think of these lamps?”

Olivia could feel her head spinning as Alex changed the subject. There was nothing even remotely interesting about the lamps; Alex was teasing her. “I think we’re getting a little old for this,” she said, chuckling.

“What, I can’t flirt with you?” Alex pouted, feigning disappointment as she walked along the display of lights. “And we’re not old, either; I don’t know who told you that.”

“I’ve been feeling old,” Olivia said, turning a corner into one of the tiny display houses. “We’ve got… all these new people at the precinct,” she sighed, leaning on a counter in the fake kitchen. “I feel out of my element.”

“Do you want to vent, or do you want advice?” Alex asked, leaning beside Olivia. “I can do both.” Her eyes had softened; her gaze was colored by concern as she carefully studied Olivia’s face. A twinge of longing plucked at Alex’s heart, and she moved closer, covering her girlfriend’s hand with her own. “We can talk if you want.”

“I… don’t want to talk about it. We can wait until later.” Olivia continued through the little house, walking out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

Alex followed, leaning in the doorway. “Liv, you’re entitled to your feelings.”

Olivia sat down on the bed with a deeper sigh as her shoulders slumped. “It’s not about that. I just… I want to be here, now, with you. It’s been a minute.”

The corners of Alex’s lips curled into a gentle smile as she stood in front of Olivia, taking her hands. “I’ll be here,” she said, taking a cursory glance around to ensure they were alone. “And I’ll be here when you want to talk about it, too.” She leaned down, pressing her lips to Olivia’s forehead.

Olivia laughed, shaking her head. “You’re… really something else, Alexandra.”

“Oh, it’s ‘Alexandra’ now?” Alex chuckled, “Are you my uncle Bill?”

“No, it’s just—” Olivia paused, pursing her lips before speaking softly. “You’re here.”

“You’re so soft now,” Alex teased as she pulled Olivia to her feet. “Where’s the charming girl with the choppy haircut and the hard-to-wash-off brown lipstick, huh?”

“So I’m soft,” Olivia said, clearly taking slight offense to Alex’s comment. “People change, Alex; not everyone puts their life on pause for four years.” She walked out of the bedroom onto the floor and took a shaky breath, pulling herself back together. The sound of Alex’s footsteps followed, and Olivia turned over her shoulder. “But since you’re hung up on it," she said, smiling, "I probably still have that lipstick.”

Alex led her into another room, this time full of couches and various living room fixtures. “I’m not ‘hung up,’ Liv. I don’t _get_ hung up; I haven’t been hung up on anything since…” her voice quieted, “well, you.”

“And you’re calling me soft,” Olivia retorted, shaking her head as she felt the tension between them begin to diffuse. It was always easy like this with Alex; the arguments would ebb and flow, but they clung to one another with rock solid certainty, regardless of the tides.

“This is cute,” Alex said, finding herself drawn to a rather unwieldy shelving unit. “Liv, look at this.”

“It’s… a very big shelf,” Olivia noted as she grabbed the tag, attempting the Swedish pronunciation. “I—I’m going to butcher this; I don’t even want to try.”

“Oh, come on. You’re my polyglot, please?” Alex was still attempting to lift Olivia’s spirits, even after the subject had been dropped. “Don’t you know something that’s at least a little close?”

“Russian is _nothing_ like Swedish,” Olivia said, chuckling. “Neither is Spanish or French.”

“You know Russian?” Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Did you pick that one up recently? Last I remember, you were perfecting your Italian.”

“I… maybe. It’s been a while.” Olivia shrugged and looked back at the bookshelf. “It’s really big, would it even fit in the new place?”

“Think of all the case files and law journals I could fit in here,” Alex sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes. “It would be perfect in the living room…” she trailed off, bringing a hand to her chin in thought.

“Don’t you already have a bookshelf, Alex?” Olivia said, breaking Alex from her reverie.

“Money spent on organizational things is never wasted,” Alex said, her tone sounding as if she was reciting a piece of prose.

Olivia snorted. “Okay, Confucius. I didn’t know you had such specific feelings about shelves.”

“I’d like to think I’m less of a Confucius and more of a Marcus Aurelius,” Alex said, shrugging. “But I need this shelf!”

“Did Marcus Aurelius write aphorisms about furniture?” Olivia joked, watching Alex roll her eyes in reply. It was obvious bait, but Alex always fell for it when it came from her. It was her way of teasing back; making Alex flustered was something that never failed to put a smile on her face.

“He was a Roman emperor; he didn’t need to worry about furniture. His people considered him a god.” Alex moved past more shelving to the rows of couches.

It was Olivia’s turn to get excited as she saw the display model at the end of the path. “Look at this couch!” she chirped, tapping Alex’s shoulder. “It’s cute, right?”

Alex turned around, looking at the sofa in question. “This store is full of couches,” she paused, taking a beat to look Olivia in the eye, “and you pick this one.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow and sat down, crossing her legs. “What’s wrong with it? I like it.”

“It doesn’t have arms, Liv,” Alex said, sitting beside her. “That’s a very necessary part of a sofa.”

“But it’s comfy, isn’t it?” Olivia sat back, draping an arm behind Alex and smiling. “It’s simple; it’s a nice, neutral color; what more do you want?”

“I want arms on the couch!” Alex protested, standing and pointing to another display model. “Like this one.”

Olivia crossed her arms, frowning. “What are you so hung up on couch arms for?”

“I do not get hung up, Olivia Benson,” Alex muttered, removing her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Just—look how much sturdier it is. If I were to get a couch from here, it would be something like this.”

“Good thing you’ve got a couch already, then,” Olivia replied with a grin, still sitting on her sofa of choice.

“See, if there’s no arms on the couch,” Alex said, moving to stand in front of Olivia, “what am I supposed to bend you over, baby?”

Olivia’s eyes widened as she gasped, sinking back into the sofa. “Alex!” A rush of heat came to her cheeks and settled in the pit of her stomach as she was rendered speechless once again.

“We can get the shelf shipped and go home if you’d like a private demonstration,” Alex purred, licking her lips. Her eyes roved the curves of Olivia’s face, her eyes half-lidded with desire, clearly restraining herself from climbing into her girlfriend’s lap.

“And miss out on the Swedish meatballs?” Olivia said, grinning up at Alex with a toss of her hair. “Not a chance.” She rose from the couch, giving Alex’s cheek a gentle pat.

It was Alex’s turn to be left in shock as Olivia headed around another corner. “Oh, Alex, come look at this,” Olivia said, her voice fading into the distance. This was going to be a long afternoon.


End file.
